An Exchange of Silence
by bloomacncheez
Summary: Raikou reflects on the day he met Gau. RaikouXGau fluff. Oneshot. Rated T for blood.


**An Exchange of Silence**

He sat at his computer and typed up the profile of their latest kill deftly. His dexterous fingers pressed the keys, nearly performing music as a pianist would. Word-by-word, page-by-page, he grew closer to the end of the assignment by the minute. His dark eyes remained ever-fixed upon the monitor in his determination to finish his job correctly. His typing was precise and his fingers never struck a wrong note. Even in his perfection, he remained cautious.

Raikou gazed at Gau quietly. He had never understood much about computers and he could not help but feel fascinated by Gau's thorough understanding of the device. Everything about Gau fascinated him. He had always been interested in the young boy, even since he had first met him.

It was late January when he had been assigned to slay Hideo Shintate. As a member of the Wakachi, he did not hesitate in executing the order from his leader, Tojuro Hattori. After all, bringing death to a man was not something he had never done before. It was no challenge.

Tearing through the snow, Raikou stealthily jumped over buildings and ran upon rooftops in search of the man. His heart raced in time with his legs. He always felt a rush from this kind of action. Despite the sadistic feelings, he knew it was for a good cause. Wakachi never killed without reason.

As he approached another rooftop, a large commotion caught his ears. He leaned over the side of the rooftop to see what was going on, only to find a young teenage boy attempting to fight a grown man. Immediately, he recognized the man from his profile: Hideo Shintate. The boy's appearance was disheveled; his hair was messy, his jacket left his right shoulder uncovered and his nose bled slightly. He struggled to inflicted damage upon the man, though his efforts appeared to be dreadfully fruitless.

"I can't let you go!" the boy screamed furiously, "I won't let her down!"

"You've got a lot of fire, kid!" Hideo shouted. He grabbed the boy by a tuft of his dark hair and punched him in the stomach. The boy let out a single wheeze and fell to his knees, clasping his abdomen tightly. Hideo gave the both of them some distance. He drew a shuriken and clenched it in his right fist.

"You're just as pathetic as your mother. I should be able to take you down just as easily," he said through his teeth. The boy shuddered and Raikou realized that he was weeping.

"Mother… I'm sorry…" he whimpered. Hideo drew back his armed hand and stood firmly, preparing for the attack.

Raikou could not let the attack ensue. Adrenaline aided him in leaping from the rooftop quickly and landing at Hideo's side. The man stumbled back a bit, exclaiming in alarm. Raikou unsheathed the Shirogamon and plunged it through the man's chest, twisting it vigorously to make it more painful as a punishment for what he had done to the boy. Hideo choked and blood spurt from his mouth. Raikou drew the katana from the dying body and his enemy fell to his knees weakly. He collapsed face-first into the snow that began to grow crimson around the new corpse.

The wind blew coldly and Raikou's heavy breath; these were the only sounds heard after the life of the miserable being had ended. He stared at the man, contemplating if he should leave a chrysanthemum upon the body. He decided against it, seeing the criminal was not worth it. The blood had stopped flowing. The man was completely still.

Raikou looked over at the boy. He still sat upon his knees, gazing up at him. He did not appear to be afraid of him. His eyes expressed curiosity and gratitude. He did not move nor speak. Everything about him seemed helpless. From what Raikou had overheard, the boy's mother had been murdered. For someone so young, he had an unfathomable amount of courage.

He sheathed Shirogamon again and stepped over to him quietly. The boy did not withdraw and continued to watch Raikou with wonder-filled eyes. They continued to exchange silence for awhile. The boy did not seem afraid of him. Raikou felt pity for him. He was alone and helpless. He could not leave him to fend for himself, but the risk of taking him in was far greater.

This outside-world boy had no involvement in the world of Nabari. This world was potentially more dangerous. Yet, Raikou felt that leaving him without protection would leave him open for predators. If he brought him into his world, he could take him under his wing and assure that harm would never come to him. He weighed his options and came to a conclusion quickly.

He offered his hand to the boy. The teen glanced at it and appeared slightly surprised. He gazed back up at Raikou wordlessly.

"Do you need somewhere to stay?" he asked him. The boy nodded his head slightly, still silent. Raikou smiled in the slightest way he could.

"If you come with me, I promise to keep you safe," he told him.

Hesitantly, the boy took his hand. Raikou helped him to his feet. The teen stumbled and his arms wrapped quickly around Raikou's waist for support. The samurai gently placed his arms behind the boy's knees and lifted him up. The teen made no struggle or restraint to Raikou's gesture.

Raikou jumped up to the roof again and took off quickly, but not so quickly that he would disturb the boy. The warmth of his new companion dulled the nippy wind. The entire way back, there remained no conversation. Only an exchange of silence.

He made it home as the street lights began to illuminate the dark area. Gently removing an arm from the boy, Raikou opened the door to the house and switched on the light. He stepped onto the tatami-matted floor and closed the door behind him. He looked down at his new roommate to check his condition. He had fallen fast asleep.

Raikou took him to the spare bedroom. He lifted the covers and placed the teen upon the bed, covering him up to his neck with the blanket. The boy did not flinch; he continued to sleep soundly. Raikou watched him sleep. The young face was filled with serenity. What a beautiful child.

He left him alone to sleep, closing the bedroom door behind him. He remembered that he needed to report back to Hattori. While reluctant to leave the boy alone, he knew that there was no choice. He left the house again and ran quickly to his employer's home. He would only be gone for a short while.

Hattori was pleased that Raikou had performed the task in such timely manner. Raikou knew that the task had required little effort, but the location of the man was always the most difficult part. He thought about the boy again, knowing that he had to inform Hattori about his guardianship for the outsider.

"Hattori-san, I know that I have no business in meddling with the affairs of the outside world but… I've taken a boy under my wing," he told him.

"Is that right?" Hattori asked him.

"Yes. I don't know much about him, but I know he was left orphaned by Shintate. I promised to keep him safe," Raikou said, then adding, "I plan to raise him as a Wakachi."

"Ah, I see. Has he agreed to this?" Hattori asked.

"I never had the chance to talk with him. He fell asleep on the way home."

"Hmm. You have a kind heart, Raikou. I suppose it would be fine as long as he does not cause trouble. He's your responsibility. Raise him as you will."

"Thank you, sir. Good night."

Raikou returned home as the sky had turned pitch black. He poked his head into the now-occupied room to verify that the boy was still asleep. He had not moved since Raikou had left. His breathing was quiet.

Raikou went to his own room, allowing his hair to fall to his shoulders. He removed the heavy coat, and hung it up in his closet, dressing appropriately for bed. He lay upon the mattress, covering himself with the comforter. His thoughts were wild and he began to doubt whether or not he could sleep.

He thought about his newly designated lackey. He was unsure if he could bring himself to raise this child to become a murderer. To have to raise him by slaughtering man after man in the name of justice. To destroy his innocence. Beyond that, he wondered if the boy would even agree to it. Perhaps he would see him no different than the man who had killed his mother. In that aspect, he had every right to feel that way. Yet, Raikou could not bear that thought. Even from only an exchange of silence, he felt a connection with the child. His eyes shut and within moments, he was lost in sleep.

When he awoke the next morning, he threw on some clothes and immediately went to check if the boy was awake. To his disappointment, he was still asleep. Raikou checked the clock and saw that it was eight fifty-seven; it was late for him, but likely very early for a teenage boy. He sat on the edge of the bed quietly. He was nervous about officially meeting him. He was not sure how to interact with him once he was awake. The boy stirred. Raikou, too uneasy with his thoughts, stood up quickly and started to leave.

"Wait a minute," the boy spoke, sitting up. Raikou stopped and slowly turned towards him. Their eyes met and for a moment, they were speechless. The boy seemed embarrassed. Shyly, he spoke again.

"Don't go… I want to talk with you…" he mumbled.

Timidly, Raikou went back to him and sat on the bedside again.

"What's your name?" Raikou asked the boy.

"Gau… Gau Meguro…" the teen responded quietly. Raikou smiled at him reassuringly.

"My name is Raikou Shimizu," Raikou said, "Please call me Raikou."

"Raikou-sama… I want to thank you for helping me yesterday," Gau said.

"It was no trouble, Gau," Raikou assured him.

"No… I'm indebted to you. It wasn't just me that you saved, but in a sense you saved my mother as well. I promised her that her death would not be in vain. While I was unable to avenge her, you did. So for that, I also thank you. Both of us can rest easy now," Gau said.

"_What an intriguing boy_", Raikou thought. He was fascinated by Gau's appreciation. Gau blushed a little.

"If there's anything I can ever do for you, just say the word," he said shyly. Raikou blushed, remembering the conversation he had had with his superior the previous night.

"Actually… have you ever heard of the Wakachi?" he asked. He immediately felt stupid for even asking; Gau would have no clue who they were.

"No," Gau predictably responded.

"Right. Of course not. We're a group of shinobi who… kill for a living," Raikou said, straining on the word, "We pick people off in hopes of creating a better world."

"A better world?" Gau asked, immediately interested. Raikou smiled at his curiosity.

"Yes," he replied. Gau pondered for a moment.

"An ideal world…" he thought aloud, then looking at Raikou with a slightly pleading gaze, "Could… could I maybe… help you create this world?"

Raikou was amazed with how easy it was to speak with him and gain his interest. He had hardly even tried.

"Of course," he said with a smile, "With you by my side, I think we can make this world perfect." Gau blushed again.

"I swear my loyalty to you, Raikou-sama. It's the least I can do."

"Raikou-sama," Gau spoke, interrupting his thoughts, "I've finished all of the profiles." He held the stack of profiles clipped together in both hands, offering it to Raikou dutifully. Even after three years, Gau had been true to his word. He could not say the same for himself. Even so, Gau seemed to have an ever-flowing fountain of forgiveness towards him.

Raikou smiled at Gau and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Thank you, Gau. You've done more for me than I could ever ask of you…" he smiled. Gau blushed and smiled at Raikou. They seemed to say nothing, but Raikou could hear Gau's every thought in their exchange of silence. He knew that Gau heard him too.


End file.
